They’ll be an interesting team to watch at the deadline and at the draft. They are almost all but in Quebec now. Don’t know how many of their current roster players will be excited about the idea of moving into that city.

“Colborne has heard the criticism about his lack of physical play before but he has grown past it, literally. He says he’s added about 30 pounds since his draft year — the Bruins selected him 16th overall in 2008 — to get up to between 210 and 215 but he still looks like he has to fill out.

“I think it was a fair assessment of me two years ago,” he said. “But I think I’ve really started to bring the physical aspect of my game along. It’s kind of fun lately, since I’ve put on 30 pounds in the last two years probably, I’ve started to notice when I actually do finish checks guys are falling down. It’s a lot more fun that way than when you hit a guy and you’re the one falling down. Or you hit him and he just stands there. The results certainly make it better.”

Got me thinking about Max Pacioretty when he came up. One of the big knocks on him from Habs fans was that he was always falling down. I think you can see some of the why reflected in Colborne’s comments. It is a huge adjustment going from junior or the NCAA to professional hockey. The guys in the NHL are all so big and fast that the power forwards from junior really have it tough now. Look at the size of some of the league’s forwards…Ovechkin weighs 233 pounds, Kovalchuk is 235 pounds, Nash is 218 pounds, Getzlaf is 221 pounds, Franzen is 222 pounds, Lucic is 220 pounds…there are some monsters out there.

At 6’2″ but only 196 pounds, Pacioretty might still have some more bulking up in the strength department that he can do, which leaves me optimistic for his long-term potential as a power forward in the league. I’m pretty happy with what I’m seeing from him this season, especially his new-found drive to get to the net so consistently.

I would also add, as crazy as it sounds Gomez would immediately become their number one center. Phoenix also has five forwards who will be UFA’s at seasons end, Gomez would fit nicely on that team. And they only have to pay him mega bucks for one year, the high cap number will never matter to that team.

A Gomez to Phoenix deal isn’t so crazy…they are desperate to make the playoffs this spring and are in good position right now. Adding a playoff savvy veteran could help them out, and the potential bonus of adding Gomez to a strong Latin American market in Phoenix shouldn’t be completely discounted.

And if the Habs are kicking the tires on Penner, maybe they are also kicking the tires on Horcoff. Freeing up Gomez’s salary would allow them to take both Horcoff and Penner, and the Oilers might be willing to deal the two of them for prospects and picks.

Not saying it is a good bet, but it is certainly the kind of deal I could see happening in this wacky trade season. Gomez, when playing to his potential, is a better player than Horcoff. Neither guy has lived up to their current contract, and Horcoff is signed for another year over Gomez at a savings of only $1.8 M. But if Gauthier thinks this is a year to go for it, that might be a move that could re-invent his top-6, gives Phoenix a “name” for their playoff push and frees up approximately $10 million in salary cap for Edmonton next season.

Gomez to Phoenix? We can only hope. Arizona has a very large hispanic population and they’re trying to sell the game to that group. Gomez with his Mexican roots would be good marketing. They are trying to ramp up the game here in the desert, now that they’ve found a new owner.

Who would Montreal get back? Jovo is injured. Maybe a prospect, or Paul Bissonnette, a 4th liner who is tough as nails.

So looking back, despite all the injury woes, the Habs have managed to put up a 4-4-2 record over their last 10. They have only lost ground in the Eastern Conference standings to:

New Jersey (-9 points)

NY Islanders (-4 points)

Toronto (-4 points)

Philadelphia (-4 points)

Tampa Bay (-2 points)

Pittsburgh (-2 points)

Boston (-2 points)

Buffalo (-1 point)

The top 3 on that list are not real threats to make the playoffs, and Philadelphia is pretty loaded. To only lose 2 points at most to the rest of the Eastern Conference playoff contenders is pretty amazing given how poorly the team has played of late, and really demonstrates how hard it is to lose ground in the league standings with the shootout/OT point.

That being said, breaking out of their funk tonight would be a really good idea. No sense tempting fate!

I’ve been hoping for Stewart and Simmonds all year. They would have been awesome, they live together in the off season. Both add big time grit. Stewarts now not an option…I could see Simmonds fitting in nicely on the third line with Pou and DD.

It’s interesting…nobody seems to want the Wales Conference playoff spots (unless you count the teams that spotted the field too much of a lead), but the Campbell Conference is shaping up to be a real dog-fight.

Phoenix, San Jose and Calgary have all been on major tears of late, getting themselves into playoff range.

Is the Pacific the best division in hockey? Anaheim is the worst team in the division on 68 points! Dallas is in a free-fall and Richards’ injury all but means they are probably going to fall off the pace.

PRETTY BLOODY HARD TO CRASH THE NET WITH 5 FOOT FRIGGIN 6 DUDES !!!ITS NOT LIKE THE BOYS WOULDNT IF THEY KNEW THEY’D NOT BE DECAPITATED FOR DOING SO!DONT GET MAD AT THIS COLLECTION OF PLAYERS FOR NOT NET CRASHING WHEN ITS MANAGEMENT THAT PUT THESE DWARFS TOGETHER.

oh yeah for sure.. but i just think that when markov went down the team should have made a move then to try and replace him as best they could with 1-2 d man. Honestly wiz is not that, then they wouldnt have the problem of over playing older vets.. you can see how worn they are just by looking at their play..

Being an outdoor game, is there a distinct advantage to starting at one end of the rink or the other? The sun may be in the eyes of players/goalies more at one end. The condition of the ice and the wind could also be factors that come into play. That being said, has the placement of the teams been predetermined or will there be a coin toss? In fairness, if there is any distinct advantage, a coin toss should decide.

He would also be more effective on this team is they had him playing the propper game for a vet his age and not logging huge minutes and putting him in game situations that he is not built for at this time in his career. It’s called propper coaching and management.

you cant blame martain that much i mean for all quirks about his coaching style .. the fact remains this team cant score.. and the lack of goals makes the defence look worse than it is.. and if the goalie doenst stand on his head they loose. The coach cant put the pucks in the net for them. If anything his system of coaching is probally responsible for a fair share of this teams points..becuse they have won A LOT of one goal low scoring games…

This bad stretch needs to not make us lose track of the fact that this is the best the Habs have been in 15 years — at least in terms of carrying the play — and that quite besides still being on pace for over 96 points, their record is still lower than it should be if they had more puck luck.

They’re better than Boston, and Boston thought (foolishly, IMO) they were two guys away from a run.

we play much better at home…this year the habs have been one of the worst road teams i have seen on the road …even in games they have won…we have not enough scoring from our top forwards and not enough from our bottom forwards…the middle group is okay..eller,moen,pyatt combined have 7 goals…the bruins have thornton with 8 kelly now 12 and campbell 9..

Ouch, Habs are in free-fall. They need to put together a winning streak FAST or they’ll be on the playoff bubble in short order.

A losing streak is no big deal. What is bad is how helpless they’ve looked doing it. They never drive to the net, make bad plays in the neutral zone, and lately are terrible on D. Needless to say, they never hit anyone.

This team is equally in need of some miracle medical cures and a makeover.

That’s very likely why I put emphasis on this. I don’t like Cammalleri, I read and hear that he’s competitive, I don’t see it. I don’t see a guy willing to sell out for the team. I see a guy who makes Gomez look like a captain. I sure as hell wouldn’t be happy if I were his teammate or coach. Nothing wrong with shaking that loss off in the room and off camera Chris.

Typically, “no show” in a game like this is in the eye of the beholder. The teams play relatively at the same level, one maybe a bit better than the other, as is typical for a NHL game. But then one team can’t buy a goal, another team gets all the bounces, and the game ends 4-0 or something like that.

Because we’re deeply conditioned to believe the final score of the game is reflective of the level of play and the level of effort — even though that is not the case at all — we think that the team that is behind 4-0 must be sucking. But a score like that, usually, is a matter of percentages… ie. luck.

Man, it just never changes, does it Bill? Lose a game and someone has to take the blame, lose a couple of games and it’s the coach/GMs fault, lose a few games in a row and it’s the whole team, coaching staff, management and owners who should be hung, win a game, two, three and the whole process reverses. Up and down like a toilet seat.

Exactly, this isn’t tanking, this is understanding reality. Losing Markov and Gorges would be akin to Phili losing Pronger and Timonen, the Bruins losing Chara and Boychuck, the Red Wings losing Lidstrom and Rafalski.

There’s no shame in not being able to win the cup without your two best defensemen. Where would Nashville be without Weber and Suter right now?

Way to show up for the Heritage classic Habs. I understand that you’re injury riddled but c’mon..allowed 37 shots…got outchanced like 10-1 in odd man rushes. Thanks to Price this wasn’t 10-0.

Actually I wish that we would have lost 10-0. Maybe it would have sparked Pierre Gauthier to pursue a big body forward (couple actually). No, not just a rental but for years to come. It doesn’t have to be this upcoming trade deadline as the price will be high. But over the off-season certain changes are necessary. The truth is, that until the Habs don’t get some big bodies – they will continue to get pushed around. Just like against the Flyers in the Conference finals last season. This team lacks depth, so it’s critical that the Habs top scorers do what they’re expected to do – score. Our scorers cannot do that on a consistent basis. That is why the size issue is constantly brought up.

Ladies and gentlemen size IS an issue. Not saying that any individual in the NHL that is short is a bad player. Of course not, it’s quite the opposite actually, shorter players tend to be better players in this league. But the Habs have assembled way too many undersized players on just one team. These guys have skill – but they cannot crash the crease. They have speed – but they cannot agitate the d-men by screening the goalie. Just way too much perimeter play. Habs need size up front. Like it or not.

I am not going to talk much about the D, because this is the result when you have two rookies and three 36+ year old d-men. Losing arguably, your top 2 dmen on the back end was a major blow. And our vets cannot constantly plug in 20+ minutes every night. Their bodies just cannot adjust to the heavy work-load, which makes them even more vulnerable to get injured. Lidstrom would be a bad example, he’s a horse and can probably play till he’s 50 years old. That being said, the defense was pretty brutal. They made my inner-Timo come out. But I am going to suck it up for this season. All I know is that this team needs to re-tool in a lot of areas in order to beat teams like Philly on a consistent basis, not just every odd game.

I’m not worked up over it and I didn’t play the game for a living. But do you think Iginla would’ve been all smiles if the score were reversed? They are professionals, and they have to smile at work sometimes. But I don’t think it’s appropriate to show that face in that moment.

Specially when the market is overheated and places unrealistically high values on veterans (gomez), role players (moen, halpern, spacek); and young-ish rfa’s (ak). those players could collectively net us two firsts and a middling prospect or two. not to mention opening up $13m in cap space.

In some respects, being able to get over a game quicker is one of the marks of a professional. The game is already lost, there isn’t much to be gained by beating yourself up over it. Cammalleri is known as an outgoing guy, Gionta is known as a pretty taciturn guy at the best of times.

And like Twilight said, given the circumstances (first game back, former teammates, outdoor game), I think we can give Cammalleri the benefit of the doubt just a bit here.

Ha, still with the math blinders on? You’ve been saying “bad luck” for an awfully long time. Put away your abacus and pay more attention to what you see … your not going to score a lot of goals on the kind of shots the Habs take.

Kovalev never really wanted to leave and he has never been happy in Ottawa. I think he may have a resurgence if he came back. If he gets hot at the right time and plays with passion he could do some damage.

I have written basically the same re the captaincy. It seems that we(meaning habs) cant make a good decision anymore. And I am not saying that it didnt look like a good decision at the time. It just seems like this franchise has lost all it’s mojo and cant get a break as far as decision-making. Nothing turns out for us anymore.

And just to recall, I lost faith in the ‘captaincy readiness’ of Gionta when he looked so foolish saying ‘never happened’ to the Price/Markov thing while even Carey was admitting that it did. He looked like a parrot for the organization and I said so then. Even if he had said “what happens in the room is none of your business”, it would have been a better answer.

And then of course the Gomez snub and Gionta’s apparent complicity didnt help.

Yeah but did you play the game for a living? To some of these guys, it might just be a job. Which is why some players would rather play in Florida instead of Toronto, which is why some players don’t care to give intelligent interviews, and which is why some players might “yuk” it up after a loss. Not saying Cammalleri is or isn’t p!ssed about the game but I’m prepared to forgive a hard-working pro a laught after his first game back in a somewhat-historic game.

Gotcha, and you’re definitely right on that..we certainly have a habit of making bums like Leighton et al look like world beaters. And yes, Kipper certainly didn’t have to work tonight for that shutout.

I doubt very much that he’s happy after a loss, nobody is, but if I remember correctly he played for the Flames, so maybe he’s renewing aquaintances. Maybe if he refused to shake somebodys hand you’d be happy

No, he’s supposed to congratulate his former teammates, tell them it was nice to see them again and hopefully be a little upset that his team just got embarassed on national television in a game where two points would’ve gone a long way to securing a playoff spot.

So, here’s one more team that knows how to deal with our dainty perimeter game. The number is rising rapidly. Wonder if we could just start conceding our Western swings, stay home and rest up for teams we might have a shot at beating.

This road trip has been a total Embarrassment and there was a time some one had to answer for such a disgrace in Montreal. When you have a coach that thinks losing is just no big deal then the players follow suit. A hot goalie and a Ali roppy dope syle got them two big playoff wins Then the Flyers came in and the coach didn’t know how to ajust. The Flyers had a has been goalie last year and the Habs were pathetic. This team needs passion and a coach that will stand up for the players. Turning point of this game was the two man advantage and a coach with his thumb up his ass. Foe Christ sake PG call Roy will ya.

Can it Robert. I played the damn game. You aren’t showing a lack of class by congratulating the other team but having reservations about turning the shake into Yuk Yuks. When we have a player that happy after a loss, I’m going to question how competitive he is and how much he cares about team success. I didn’t see Gill and Gionta lighting up the sky with smiles. And they were by no means showing a lack of class.

If someone mentions the one goal in 76 shots statistic and then turns around and makes up some story to blame it on lack of size, lack of finish or any other deficiency of the Habs, I am going to scream.

Martin needs to be “promoted” upstairs right away – let Muller run the team till the end of the season. He’ll show some passion and innovation that Martin won’t use or doesn’t have.

No player should be safe from being traded if the right deal comes available. Gauthier has shown already that he’s too slow on the uptake – if he knew what he was doing he’d have seen this fiasco coming and made a major move weeks ago. obviously Chris Stewart or Eric Brewer could have been had as Gauthier has “everybody” to offer. The current group is going nowhere especially with no help. Go get Hemsky and pay what you need to -what an upgrade that would be -throw Gomez in for nothing and pay the bulk of his salary to get rid.

Idea for the Canuck game -bring in Curtis Sanford to play goal -Price is exhausted because of Martin -send him home to rest up for the Leafs. Auld can back up Sanford – both played for the Canucks and would love to try and beat them – of course the game result is a forgone conclusion -better Price isn’t embarrased in his home province. Forget the west trip and lets get going otherwise no playoffs.

AAANNNd on to the smoooth surface of GM Place, where there can be no excuses regarding ice surface,and where our asses will be handed to us courtesy of VanCan. Yes Calgary was hotter but who was more desperate?

Unfortunately this team cannot/does not respond to desperation.The excuses are compounding and the injuries do hurt, but who tha f*ck is stepping up? Knowing that every year this road trip comes along(so fittingly around the deadline) and we continually or appropriately sink to our lowest point of the year…What’s up wit dat?

Shades of Carbo and “09, except of course the brighter future prospects(see the usual suspects). Unfortunately JM is not in his position,although his methods should be questioned. He should’ve been wearing a hat so he could cover his entire head.

Nobody got injured…I was worried with Gill coming back from a groin injury to an outdoor game on crappy ice in cold weather.

Bye-bye Alberta…you’ve rarely been kind to the Habs!

I think the writing is on the wall…Gomez and Kostitsyn are probably out of here if there is any way Gauthier can make those deals. They aren’t contributing, so replacing them simply can’t be that hard. Get some assets while you can, Pierre.

As for tonight’s game…<shrug>. We lost to the second hottest team in the league with a patch-work defence corps. No shame in that…the anemic offence is embarassing, I admit, but we’ve known that for a year and a half. There are pretty few natural scorers on this team and a lot of guys that are simply couldn’t score if their lives depended on it.

More and more, it is obvious that the team’s lack of scoring is a serious issue. But let’s give Cammalleri a couple of games to get his timing back before we write off all the forwards.

Did they stink tonight? Absolutely. Have the been bad for the last while? Yep.

But that happens. And I suspect more than a few of us were not expecting much out of this road trip. So take a breath and find something relaxing to do while you hope for some moves by Gauthier over the next week.

With all due respect to Gomez, who has had a solid career and used to be a really good player, he is the one guy I wouldn’t mind seeing let go. For anything. In a cap league you just can’t have a guy eating up that much space for that little contribution. If Phoenix wants him and I’m GM, they can have him for a 3rd rounder and I’ll send them a Christmas card, just like Sather prob sends one to Gainey every year.

Cammalleri’s a sniper on a team that can’t score. I think he has to stay.

While Demers might never have won a Cup prior to 93, their GM that year was a man who knew a thing or two about winning Stanley Cups…Serge Savard…something which is lacking on Pierre Gauthier’s resume.

No, but there really isn’t anything wrong with shaking the loss off on the ice and on camera either, so long as he plays hard in his next few games.

Cammalleri is likely never going to be a captain of any team in the NHL…it just isn’t in him. He’s similar to Gomez: a bit snarky, a bit loose and sometimes gives off the aura of not caring enough.

But if he’s doing his job (scoring goals, getting his 65-80 points per year), we can’t really begrudge him too much. His attitude sometimes grates we fans, who want to see the guys take every loss as hard as we do, but you can’t really change who somebody is. And he was an awfully big part of the team’s playoff run last year, and few could doubt his commitment to the team.

Larisa, it’s every team’s plan to get to the crease on the opposition goalie and to keep opposition shots from the outside. This isn’t ground-breaking. Having a plan and executing it/having the players to execute it are two different things.

I agree nova scotia vees, we have to clean house from top to bottom on this team or else we are going through the same cycle season after season. High expectations from the fans and early playoff exits which most fans here are content and that “better luck next time” attitude.

I thought you were the expert on the Hamilton Bull Dogs and all the talent on the team? So now that a significant portion of those great Bull Dogs have advanced to the Habs you’re saying that the same players you said were the future of the franchise last year are complete and total dog crap?

Is that your complete and total assessment of your beloved Bull Dog grads with the Habs?

If it isn’t working for Kostitsyn, than it would never work for Kovalev in a Martin system. Unless the coach decides to make a paradigm shift, we are going forward (backward?) with the players we have.

Yes but what was interesting about the interview was that Tanguy told them their game plan.

Go after Price in any which way, because he’s the key. And since our D is decimated, they took advantage of that fact. As well he said they kept all our teams’ shots to the perimeter so as to protect Kipper.

Still watching this Antichamber and you’d think that Michel Bergeron and Mario Tremblay have all the answers and know better than anyone… a couple of NHL has-beens who never won squat in the NHL as coaches.

JL has the Devils on a 15-1-2 run in the last 18 games! Devils sucked under John McLean. Coaching is huge in this league. The JM system sucks, every coach in this league can out coach his stupid soft, boring and usless hockey.

Sorry – you get 2 out of 5. Kovalev does not suck – offensively. Gomer is not old, but he does suck. Hammer is old and he does not suck.

Kovalev is a free agent after this year. We would be on the hook for about one-fifth of his salary (about $1 million) and it sure wouldn’t cost us much, maybe a late draft pick. And – he might be trying to show something so he can get another contract in the off-season. So – all in all not such a huge gamble.

It is so sad to see this once proud franchise go quiety into that dark night. Rage, rage, against the dying of the light…..But oh no…players without heart or without a clue…and a goalie who NEVER steals a win, but is always praised as the second coming. It reminds me of the old fable about the Emperor’s new suit.

There are none so blind as those who will not see. Time to CLEAN HOUSE..TOP TO BOTTOM.

I don’t call him selfish due to his shooting numbers. I call him selfish because he doesn’t do a thing on the ice to try helping this team win other than shoot. He doesn’t try to block shots, doesn’t try to beat out icings, doesn’t pick up opposing players on the backcheck. I don’t want him to change his game, I want him to do things other than shoot the puck.

I think it’s just personality though. Subban and Price were also fairly friendly in the handshakes, and you know they’re competitive. Cammalleri doesn’t seem very competitive, but he did score a bunch of playoff goals last year, so he does have some jam somewhere.

JM’s, and Muller and Pearn are involved in this plan you hate, plan is the only reason we have as many points as we do. This team is just plain worn down from having KEY injuries all season long. Even with a healthy team we needed pieces, why is it shocking to anyone that now that the chips are down we are coming up short….pun intended.

If I did not know this team was still in the playoffs (by conference standings), I would conclude this is a very poor hockey team. They may have as many SOGs as Calgary, but they have been outplayed in every other facet of the game. I cannot shake the feeling too many Habs still have a Kovalev mentality–if I get one or two shots on net, they think, no one will notice we sucked in every other way humanly possible.

That’s been my hope all along. And sometimes, when you roll the dice to get some assets to replace your deadwood, you get a pleasant surprise.

Gomez and Kostitsyn are both potentially good NHL players in the right environment. The Montreal Canadiens are not that environment…everybody agrees on this, I suspect. So really, what is to be lost by dealing them and rolling the dice on somebody else, even a prospect, at this point? I honestly think Gomez might demand out this summer given how miserable this season has gone, and I don’t see the Habs keeping Kostitsyn past this summer. The deadline is the time when you can maximize the return on your own struggling assets, as teams overpay in their efforts to keep pace in the arms race of the trade deadline.

In my perfect world, the Habs look to deal Andrei Kostitsyn to Pittsburgh or Washington, both of whom I would guess might be interested in him. Send Gomez to Phoenix if that rumour is even remotely possible. And send Travis Moen whereever you can.

Send Eller to the AHL to get him some confidence. Because 0 goals in 40 games is not helping him or the team at this point.

Play the youngsters and see what they can do. Desharnais, Pouliot, Subban and Weber have been the engine of the team for the past month…let’s ride them and see where they can go so we can get some sort of idea of what we’ve got in them.

I don’t look at this as giving up on this season, but instead recognition that you can’t move forwards by stubbornly clinging to past performances.

WE MUST RAGE!!! AHHHGERREERRT AHHH ….man i just hate it when we lose.It literally puts a damper on my day and brings me down.What is it with this team?!I love em but i hate em.Anywho,back to the fridge for another beer…..hehe..

You are one of the few who set me straight on a nightly basis when we lose and I get downright futile. Don’t get too down, It sucks for sure! But hell, now this Heritage fiasco is over we can concentrate on getting healthy and start focusing on a positive playoff mindset! Not to mention making some key adjustment at the deadline!

I see exactly the same thing I saw last year – a middling hockey team with good goaltending. That netminding could win us a round or two, but we lack both the top-end talent and the depth necessary to go four rounds.

We have one player whom you might consider a legitimate NHL first-liner in Cammalleri, and one (at this point) legit first-pairing d-man who is out for the year (and it seems every year) in Markov. After that, we have had to overpay for role players (Gomez, Gionta, Hamrlik, Spacek) who are given star-level minutes and eat up large chunks of our salary cap.

Our high draft picks are either unproven (Subban, Pacioretty), underwhelming (Kostitsyn) or non-existent. Pleks is a decent second-line player, but you aren’t going anywhere if all you produce over an extended span is one decent second-liner. And the other puds we bring in as fillers (Moen, Pouliot, Mara etc.) just aren’t good enough.

The above mentioned servicable role players and the fill-in puds will always keep us in the battle for a playoff spot. As a GM, this keeps away the braying critics. As a coach, JM’s stupefyingly boring system does the same. Win just enough to keep your job.

But as it’s constructed now (as it was last year), it is a team that has no chance to win the Stanley Cup, unless Price turns into a combination of Roy, Dryden, Plante, Durnan and Vezina.

I do not defend any player I feel doesn’t warrant it. Cammalleri’s playing style can be considered selfish because he is a shooter but so are all snipers, they want the puck to shoot it, it’s how their game works.

Tired of people insisting ‘he’s got to change his game’ for every player whose style they do not like. They have success because it is their style, changing it would lead to less success.

Well I count the Flames with around 10 grade A scoring chances while the Habs have had around 2. I see the Flames crashing the net and digging in the corners more than the Habs. That’s what I consider a no showing.

Been a Habs fan since I was in 2nd grade and sat behind Patrick Roy at the Aud.

This kind of observation also tends to be heavily influenced by the final score, unless you do it systematically.

Which is what Olivier at enattendantlesnordiques.com does. I’m curious to see his scoring chances counts. I expect Calgary to come out ahead, but not 4-0’s worth of ahead — and the Habs are in a serious rough stretch in terms of converting their own scoring chances, too.

Serge Savard, he would flip that puck in the air and since the sky + puck are dark Kipper would never see it. Obviously after 10 straight goals Calgary would pick up whats happening and beat the crap out of him. But it might be worth a shot.

“A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject”–Winston Churchill

These heritage classic games are stupid, especially for a team like our habs. We have enough troubles scoring on normal NHL ice, and with that crappy ice I wasn’t expecting us to score any at all to tell you the truth. This outdoor game just handicapped our talentless team even more. And I agree with everyone here, JM needs to leave, before we lose another good coach in Captain kirk. Also, has anyone else noticed how gionta’s game has fallen off this planet since being named captain? All the things he was praised for last season, he hasnt done even half of those things this season. Absolutely pathetic!

never did i say they won the game cuz of the netcrashing, but you have to admit they were there when they needed to be. on the other side, I don’t know if a Habs player got within 10 feet of the blue paint. point made, smart**s. however, your quick ignorant retort to the original comment says alot about your state of mind and emotion

Perhaps Colin felt that the Bruins game was a “heat of the moment” blow up? Considering that DePietro KO from earlier in the month I think it’s easier to see that the Pens/Isles game was more pre-meditated.

However he would have put many people back in his court if he had suspended his kid for the elbow pad thing, even if I don’t think he meant to do that either.

There are a lot of head hits that aren’t intentional. But it is a fact that the Bruins did exactly what the Islanders did and received no discipline while the Isles(who are in the largest financial peril of any NHL team) were fined $100k and had two players suspended for almost a quarter season.

I don’t think it’s too much to expect to not get caught up ice 6-8 times a game. He’s not quick enough to keep up anymore, and the last few weeks have really exposed him. Great guy, solid player while he was here, but his time is up.

1) The Bruins said after the game that they planned to do exactly what the did in the final moments if they were winning.

2) It doesn’t matter if Campbell meant to use his elbow pad (I doubt he did), continuing to fight while a piece of plastic is being used as a weapon is an automatic suspension, ask Souray. Not to mention a goon like Campbell going after Pyatt is about as classless as it could possibly get.

Nice to see Campbell busy reviewing potential supplementary discipline tonight. I mean, nice to see tickets that you and I pay for go into flying him to Calgary and paying for his accomodations for the weekend.

3 goals in a period is a bit of a fluke result, anyway. It’ll happen or it won’t, probably not, especially with the Habs’ luck, but really, it won’t so much be a question of talent (or *snerk* desire).

Very suprised that the Jays decided to give Bautista so much money. A big time gamble. Pleks on the other hand was a safe bet. Pay midrange -> higher end money for an IMO average player. The Bautista move is bold, i’ll give it that.

I dont think it’s so much that, than as it is so damn cold. there is only so much they can control, it’s hard to maintain a playing surface that is up to NHL standards in an environment 40 degrees or more colder than a standard NHL rink

I dunno man. I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt. Same with alot of these so called “targetted head hits”, IMO many of those hits and not intentional. I get alot of rage in my direction for that as well.

I think the most annoying part will be reading the media nonsense about the Habs’ lack of success on the Western swings. It’s always coincidental, of course — but that’s too good a Habs-bashing story to let pass.

Ah well. Let’s see what happens the rest of the way — and maybe the Habs should trade for a bit of luck, theirs has been rotten pretty much all year.

A lack of size isn’t our problem. With Pouliot and Pacioretty playing the way that they are it has no bearing on a lack of offense, as illustrated by the Boston game a couple of weeks ago.

This team’s problem is the quality of defensemen beyond the two they lost for the season. Subban will be great and Gill earns his money. Wisniewski has been a nice acquisition but we can’t compete with Hamrlik being relied on so heavily.

We can’t expect to get secondary scoring with Moen and Kostitsyn flanking Gomez. The guy takes nonstop heat but he gets Kostitsyn who is as inconsistent as the weather and Moen who couldn’t score on an open net penalty shot as his wingers.

Why anyone expects this guy to contribute offensively with what he’s been surrounded with is beyond me.

I think size is our number one priority. Not just size, but size WITH skill. I forgot to mention Gomez in my list above. I am a big fan of what is happening with Pax and Pouliot (in regards to their emergence). Yeah our defence is lacking a little skill with all the injuries, but for me really what it’s missing is what Komi was early in his stay with montreal. Steady with a phyical edge. This team is unable to make other teams pay in terms of score, or in either end of the rink in the corners.

My feeling is that the strategy for building this team has been a failure. I hope to see a change in direction soon. Otherwise I fear another 7 years of this tripe.

I couldn’t disagree more. Habs lack of size up front gives officials a justification when they end up on the ice as a result of a hook, hold, trip, check away from the play, etc. They can chalk it up to a 6’4 player up against a 5’10 player.

Let’s just recap the last couple of weeks for the Habs.

Nothing to Julien for two line brawls instigated by his team in the last 3 minutes of a game.

No suspension to Ference for golf swinging the back of Plekanec’s leg.

No suspension for the Horcoff cross check on Pouliot from four feet away from the boards.

Who would want to do that? However, do you *really* think that Pleks, AK, Gionta or Cammy are the key to the cup for this team? For me, at least 3 of these guys need to get upgraded. PG needs to come up with some sort of game plan to increase the size and skill of this team. This experiment is a grand failure.

I’m feeling OK about the game. We got through the first period down one goal – not the worst that could have happened. We’ve been penalized twice and Calgary has none – maybe they’ll find their whistles the next time Calgary takes down one of our guys. Price looks sharp too. So, it could be a lot worse.

Habs game depends on passing finesse, especially on the breakout. Just doesn’t seem like the type of conditions this team can survive in. On the bright side, one or two lucky bounces….Hope there’s some pushback in the second.

When a Hab has to dig a dump-in out of his own corner, there is always a Flame barrelling in there to try and nail him. When the puck is in the Flames’ corner, he’s got all day, because the Habs never hit anyone.

Don Cherry made a snide comment about how “we’re” going to be paying for the new Quebec City arena. Yep, DON CHERRY. A CBC colour commentator, on the public broadcaster, complaining about who’s going to pay for the arena. What a dumb ass.

Anyone else find it curious that ‘upon further review, the goal was actually from So-and-so’s stick and not this guy?” seems to come up often enough, but somehow, they can’t overturn illegal goals that weren’t called for review on the ice? Seems stupid.

Chintzy tripping calls. PENALTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Knee a guy at centre ice? That’s okay, he plays for Calgary and is from the West like the four officials tonight. What a load of crap this league is. Hey Bettman, next time you want a f’n gimmick game, let the Leafs or Senators or Canucks sacrifice their season for it. Better yet, get one of your welfare bum teams from the south to play in Winnipeg as some sort of sacrifice. Screw this. What a load of crap that was. Oh and Tim Hortons, Screw you too with your overpriced (deleted) coffee. Screw you too Canadian Tire.

I don’t understand why nobody in the media or on the broadcasts is talking about how Bourque may have kicked the puck into the net. Furthermore, I can’t believe the morons in Toronto didn’t see it as doubtful enough to warrant at least a review.

Face it. We are getting jobbed. Shitty ice conditions favour Flames. Western refs including the corrupt Mike Leggo. The first period we are playing against the wind at 35 mph. We get penalties on lame calls and Calgary gets away with non-calls. Sounds fair…

Of course, but the way the game is officiated, Montreal is going to have to learn to live with a terrible PP-PK ratio. They’re not considered a top, or even relevant teams, which means that they’re not going to get the benefit of the doubt against anyone.

Everybody talks about our shots on goal. Maybe there’s a reason for it. We just don’t get power plays – it’s rare. Plus, we get called on every little thing – so our guys are exhausted from killing penalties. I’m not going to get into conspiracy theory, but it sure is easier to get a flow going and to get shots on goal if you’re allowed the odd power play.

Speaking of which, if any of you are the kind of people who revelled in driving your snowmobiles across some poor kid’s freshly flooded ice rink on a lake in cottage country, may a thousand sand fleas infest your armpits.

Well you can sure see the refs are all weastern boys another joke in the making as far as refing goes.. Nice slash on Gomez and a good trip on Gionta and yet they didn’t miss giving the Flames and early advantage to take the lead.

Just a guess on my part but with ice conditions like this I don’t think passes are clicking for either team. Too many bounces. Keep you D back and just throw it down there and race for the puck? Dare I say, pond hockey strategy?

Singing in that cold would be uncomfortable for anyone, agree on song choice. Stadium Love is obviously appropriate, but one like, Monster Hospital would have been better for the first song. Agree that Vancouver is a better game for analysis, of course we want them to win this one because the points are needed and the large audience watching

yeah i totally agree with you.. And we should try and move AK as much as i would like them to be able to move gomes i dont even know if thats possible. He drives me crazy on a nightly basis, but at the same time he is a set up guy and i have seen him set up guys a few times the past few games but i mean really what can you say when your putting the puck on the sitck of moen and AK who cant score if their life depended on it …….And man there are no set lines whats with JM and the constant shifting of the lines?

Believe me I am not hanging this on Price…..this team would be nowhere without him……like I said the biggest thing that has derailed this season is no consistent offense and Markov/Gorges gone of the year. PG should try and trade AK, Gomez, Moen for some good prospects and some picks.

Been a Habs fan since I was in 2nd grade and sat behind Patrick Roy at the Aud.

I think that if the Habs can pop one early, it may be the turning point of the game. It will lead to a comeback victory and set the team on an 8-game winning streak that propels them ahead of the Bruins. We will then look back on this game, and the rally, as the turning point of the season.

She usually sounds a LOT better than that live. I was actually surprised by that performance…pretty brutal by Metric’s standards.

Wrong song choice for a stadium, too. They have some somewhat rockier songs that would have gone off better in such a cavernous environment.

As for the Habs, I’m not too upset. I think this game is a bit anomalous, given the crappy conditions and so many guys coming back from injuries. Vancouver will be a better barometer of how they’re doing.

Yeah I saw them in an open field basiscally in Toronto (Downsview) and the sound was much better. Kudos to them for playing in what is extra frigid when you’re holding a guitar or drum sticks, not being able to wear gloves

It’s official: this team needs help. Let’s hope Gauthier has his finger on the trigger of something good.

It’s not just the bad ice of this game, or the injuries in the last few games – there’s more going on than that. The team can’t score and the defence has gone south. If we go into the playoffs like this, it will be ugly, no matter if it’s Boston, TB, or Phil.

Specific to tonight: Hamr sucks and Wiz is a nightmare. Weber is running around. Every mistake leads to a 2-on-1 which leads to a great shot or goal. No hunger in front of Kipper, and this game is all but over. Let’s get thru the next 20 mins without injury.

I think the Habs should start petitioning the NHL to cancel all future trips to Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, just put 3 Ls in the standings and not bother to make the trip out west. That will save some wear and tear on the players.

The Sabre loss will end up being the turning point of the season. That was a sure win that they let get away and they have not been the same since. I think they collectively realized that night that they are just not very good and cannot overcome the loss of their two best defencemen. I suspect it is going to be a brutal collapse from now to the seasons’ end.

What an embarrassment this team is to the CH. The defense sucks but granted half of them shouldn’t even be playing. Price has been average over the last 2 months or so and finally the offense is pathetic and as been all year save for a few games. PG better not sell out the future next week so we can squeak into the playoffs to get our asses handed to us by Philly or Boston.

Been a Habs fan since I was in 2nd grade and sat behind Patrick Roy at the Aud.

No doubt…go back to da trailer park singer girl whatever ur name is…grrr….what an awful sound to my ears…rather be at a opera watching fat chicks belt out high pitch long azz sounds than this redneck.But she’s kinda hot.

I wouldnt try and hang this on price.. he’s started 53 games he is aloud to have an odd night. some goal support would be nice its amazing how this team cant score.. calgary has three chances and bam 3 goals … montreal couldnt shoot it in the ocean… its horrible.. not to mention the lack of net presence at both ends of the ice.. And ya know iam not apposed to PG making a good trade and moving a couple of assets because we have the depth to do that and if we dont take a chance once and a while then this team will be medicore for years to come just as they have been for the past 15 years. Iam all for a hockey trade. One player is not going to fix the situation but if you have the chance to make a good trade then you make it regardless. And for the record i think that PG is trying to make one of those deals as we speak..not rental but a smart hockey trade because this team is lacking big time.

Everyone goes crazy with all this ‘doom and gloom’ talk that seems to flare up every game the Habs aren’t winning. Just chill out.

The first two penalties in this game were shady at best. I’m not one who subscribes to conspiracies, but it seems like the Habs are on the wrong end of penalties far too often. How many PP’s did we have in the first two periods?

Regardless, we don’t have any control over this, so instead of freaking out, enjoy the 3rd period and have some faith that the team can turn it around, tonight, tomorrow or whenever.

Last year when everyone was crying all season long, the team made the conference finals. So ‘chill out’.

When a Hab has to dig a dump-in out of his own corner, there is always a Flame barrelling in there to try and nail him. When the puck is in the Flames’ corner, he’s got all day, because the Habs never hit anyone.

The momentum changed WAY before the goal, Robert. It changed when Hamrlik was way out of position and allowed the puck behind him, then didn’t bother skating for it when a Calgary player blew by him and got a breakaway. He was godawful and everyone else emulated him thereafter. As I said further down, PK was trying to make a play in a game we were trailing, that’s commendable, even if he screwed up. There’s a massive difference between a good hockey play that goes wrong and someone just being lazy as hell. Call a spade a spade.

This is sort of the Habs’ problem right there — bad luck on the percentages.

They come out behind regardless of whether they dominate the play or not. They cannot get a goal on 15 chances, and the other guys will score 1-2 per period regardless of whether they get 3 chances or 15.

This is all random variation, of course, but it would be nice for the law of averages to reassert itself sometimes soon.

Over/under before someone makes a farcical “size” comment in the media though? I’d say two minutes after the game.

Habs literally had the wind behind them this period and couldn’t use it. This team hasn’t been useful in their Western Canada Trips in 10 years, it’s a sickness they can’t lose no matter how often they change the coach or the lineup.

Man can we say net presence people… this team has zero.. 21 shots are useless when they are perimiter shots with no one in front of the net. We cant score goals.. I found it comical that our best scoring chance in this game came off moen’s stick with gomez and AK on the ice and then a shot from gill. those guys dont have a goal combind in a decade. haha

I stil don’t understand why Hamrlik was on the first wave PP. His lack of positioning and utter laziness was the reason the team lost the momentum. Inexcusable for a player of his talent level and experience.

Be prepared for a loss against Vancouver and Toronto and Carolina……..we should be out of the playoffs by the end of the week lol. I thought this could easily happened after the shootout loss to the Sabres.

Been a Habs fan since I was in 2nd grade and sat behind Patrick Roy at the Aud.

He had that two game burst of emotion after his talk with martin then went right back to his slack ass self. I have had it with him. I don’t care if he blossoms elsewhere. He has shown nothing here and time is up. Get him off my team.

Well, I’m done for the game and if Gomer and Kosti are still on the team after the trading deadline I’m done for the season. The product on the ice is consistently sub-par and last play-offs were an anomaly. It’s time for this franchise to stop living in history and for the fans in MTL to push for changes by staying away from the Bell Centre and the shops. If they don’t push for changes it isn’t going to happen.

The SH goal when the team was a mess caused the loss of momentum, which was created when PK made a bad pinch. Please Andrew, we know Hamrlik’s been crappy in the 2nd half this year but really, blame where it actually belongs.

Recently, yes. Overall, not so much. Long as they make the post I couldn’t care less. Once the real season starts, if they’re healthy, we may see some decent action. Course, I got better action in the back seat of my 1968 Vauxhall Viva than these guys give now.

The size thing doesn’t matter much when two teams play who are both built on skill and speed. It DOES end up mattering when one team is built that way and the other team is more balanced and has a focus on physicality. I do not believe that team A can win the majority of games against team B without a richness of speed and skill yet unseen in this league.

it will be an interesting game…when we are favourites we rarely do well…when major under dogs we seem to play well…vancouver has d issues but on the other hand our forwards would have trouble scoring vs a college team…price will have to make many saves and he has to be better when a player cuts in on his as he is one of the worst goalies i have seen on that play…

Come on guys, it wouldn’t be the Montreal Canadiens if they didn’t stress the hell out of you and keep you guessing all season long whether or not we will make the playoffs! This is just the way it is, I’ve gotten used to it.

However,if you look at the reg season, we see that our Habs are 3 and 1 against the Bruins and the play-offs are a whole new season. Gomez last year stepped up his game , as did many other of our beloved Habs. I really don’t care who the Bruins have on their team, the Habs will always stand a good shot in a 4 game play-off series. Its the Flyers that worry me. My hope is that the Devils somehow squeeze into that last spot. The Flyers are a talented goon team but the Devils can play with them. Once the Flyers are out, anything can happen !!

1) the habs are one of the top goals against teams in the nhl yet scott gomez is a minus 18…this is amazing …the next worst forwards on the habs are pyatt at -6, eller -5 and moen -5…this is a terrible stat difference for gomez…if gomez was a bruin or flyer with his stats the greates gomez supporters on this site would tear gomez apart…

2) with the addition and subtraction of players on the bruins their goals for is even higher than what the standings indicate…their roster now is at about 200 goals scored

3) last year we beat pitts and wash in the playoffs and both teams were much higher scoring teams but they had more individual players with high goal numbers..boston and the flyers are way more balanced.

4) thornton,campbell,sequin and kelly individually each have more goals than moen,eller,pyatt combined…also while white has only played 7 games it looks like his goal scoring ability at this stage is that of moen

5) if we play the bruins or flyers in the playoffs our top 3 forwards will probably have to match 6-7 of their forwards in scoring..this is why it will be a difficult task..eller,moen,pyatt,white will provide zilch goal scoring in the playoffs..halpern darche goal scoring will be minimal..pouliot,ak46,dd,maxpac either have no playoff resume or have not produced in the playoffs..gomez will not score goals…so basically 3 forwards will have to match 6-7 forwards of the other teams…

I’m not convinced they needed Kaberle. If they had let Burke trade him elsewhere, they still would gotten the improved Toronto pick, plus their own to get a better center than they got to replace Savard.